From a Daily Times staffer, condolences to a heartbroken Newtown, Conn.

By DANIELLE LYNCH

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

You could see it all over their faces. Their eyes were puffy and they were having a difficult time holding their heads up. The people of Newtown, Conn., were exhausted and heartbroken. The peacefulness and security that the residents once felt in their quaint New England town was gone.

I witnessed the grimness of the town a few days after the Dec. 14 shooting tragedy that took the lives of 20 first graders and six staff members inside Sandy Hook Elementary School. A "sister" paper of the Delaware County Daily Times, the New Haven Register in Connecticut, needed help with coverage.

Before I got into my car, I said a little prayer to myself. I said, "God, please help my written words bring some comfort to the people up there."

Four hours later, I arrived in Newtown. That's when the sadness hit me. I could feel it in the air. Everywhere I looked, I saw signs and banners asking for prayers for the victims and their families. When I interviewed people, I noticed how distraught they were. At times I felt like an intruder.

One night after work, I visited the downtown area near the school with some of my colleagues. There was a gigantic Christmas tree and makeshift memorial with hundreds of stuffed animals, candles, balloons, pictures, prayers and poems. One family made 26 tiny angel statues representing the victims. In another area, there was an American flag with each of the victims' names on it.

There also was a bouquet of white roses with the faces of the children imprinted on the petals. At a nearby dress shop, the storefront displayed dresses in the elementary school colors of green and white.

Across the street, a large Victorian house had bushes on the front lawn decorated with lights in the shape of the words: faith, hope and love. A choir sang "Silent Night" outside of the home. Down the street, there was another makeshift memorial near the elementary school sign. There were 26 Christmas trees set up for each of the victims. Community members also made a white picket fence with each of the victims' names on it.

While standing in line for a story I was working on, I overheard a conversation between two residents. They were talking about how the streets in the town normally never have traffic. They were talking about how they couldn't make sense of what happened in their hometown. They said they were grateful for all the support they have received from people across the country. For example, one woman traveled from Iowa and baked pies for the community. The residents said they hoped there would be change going forward. "If it's our purpose to push forward change with the gun issues, then so be it," said one woman.

It's a terrible tragedy and it happened at a time of the year that's supposed to be about kindness and love. Things must change.

This cannot happen again.

Danielle Lynch is a Daily Times reporter who went to Connecticut to report on the tragedy as part of a team of reporters, photographers and editors assembled by our parent company, Digital First Media.